Trying to Find the Ocean

“For Michael Ast photographing is a form of praise. To frame something in the world is to confer importance, to proclaim that it existed, was noticed and would not disappear without acknowledgement. He does not seek the spectacle of conventional beauty, nor does he indulge in gratuitous ugliness. Instead, Ast invents the world as he goes along, finding small moments and minor revelations that add up to an episodic collection of subtle dualities.” ~ Mark Alice Durant (author/artist)

“The first thing I noticed about American photographer Michael Ast’s debut book is how these images carry the tempo of a city, in this case Baltimore, Maryland. It is almost as if Ast’s camera is a barometer for the mood of this town . . . .” ~ Alison Stieven-Taylor (journalist/author)

“The production is the best I’ve seen for a local book of photography.” ~ Rachel Whang
(Owner, Atomic Books, Baltimore)